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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 6 · Chapter 8: The Nārāyaṇa-kavaca Shield
6.8.126.8.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.8.13

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Viśvarūpasince 6.8.4-6inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

जलेषु मां रक्षतु मत्स्यमूर्ति-

र्यादोगणेभ्यो वरुणस्य पाशात् ।

स्थलेषु मायावटुवामनोऽव्यात्

त्रिविक्रम: खेऽवतु विश्वरूप: ॥ १३ ॥

jaleṣu māṁ rakṣatu matsya-mūrtir

yādo-gaṇebhyo varuṇasya pāśāt

sthaleṣu māyāvaṭu-vāmano vyāt

trivikramaḥ khe vatu viśvarūpaḥ

Translation

May the Lord, who assumes the body of a great fish, protect me in the water from the fierce animals that are associates of the demigod Varuṇa. By expanding His illusory energy, the Lord assumed the form of the dwarf Vāmana. May Vāmana protect me on the land. Since the gigantic form of the Lord, Viśvarūpa, conquers the three worlds, may He protect me in the sky.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seek the Lord’s Protection Everywhere

  1. 1

    This mantra seeks the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in water, on land and in the sky.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s great fish form is asked to protect one in water from fierce aquatic animals associated with Varuṇa.

  3. 3

    Vāmanadeva is asked to protect one on land. The Lord’s gigantic form, Viśvarūpa, is asked to protect one in the sky.

Key points from the purport
  • This mantra seeks the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the water, land and sky in His incarnations as the fish, Vāmanadeva and the Viśvarūpa.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Offense and dread → Moral reckoning. Heroic power does not guarantee inner freedom.

Chapters 7–10 of Canto 6: Indra, Bṛhaspati and the emergence of Vṛtrāsura. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 8: The Nārāyaṇa-kavaca Shield

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

This mantra should be distributed all over the front and back of the body. The twelve-syllable mantra, which begins with the praṇava, oṁkāra, is oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. jaleṣuin the water
  2. māmme
  3. rakṣatuprotect
  4. matsya-mūrtiḥthe Supreme Lord in the form of a great fish
  5. yādaḥ-gaṇebhyaḥfrom fierce aquatic animals
  6. varuṇasyaof the demigod known as Varuṇa
  7. pāśātfrom the arresting rope
  8. sthaleṣuon the land
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 6.8

    In this verse: “protect”, “protection”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can this prayer help you remember the Supreme Lord wherever you are?

Practice

Before going out today, offer a brief prayer for the Lord’s protection wherever you travel.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 6.8's connections

Live this todaySeek the Lord’s Protection EverywhereThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 6.8.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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